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When Lost premiered back in 2004, the trapped passengers of the Oceanic Flight 815 kept audiences gripped for years, with six lengthy seasons of fans furiously theorising the answers to the island. Now, thriller mystery series FROM is tapping into the same mind-racking, communal viewing experience that made Lost a global phenomenon almost two decades earlier, but this time it’s for a new generation, and with a few interesting connections between the two.
Created by John Griffin (Crater, Magic: The Gathering), FROM is based in a town that traps all those who enter it, where residents have to survive creatures that torment (and kill) them at night. Much like the Oceanic Flight 815 passengers on Lost, there is no way of leaving their geographical nightmare, and they must work together with a diverse group of strangers to ensure their survival. While the shows are, of course, very different, both feed off the drama, romance and conflict of the survivors as they embark on their journeys to find answers and come out the other side, all while facing the mysterious threats of their new unknown postcodes.
Stan, ABC
The evidence is in the DNA when it comes to the crew credits of Lost and FROM, with both shows executive produced by Jack Bender and Jeff Pinkner. Within Lost and FROM, there are themes of — despite the characters’ horrific circumstances — an acceptance of the situation they’re in. Yes, there is a desire to seek answers and understand why they were fated to be where they are — it’s the engine of the show, really — but there is also an understanding that they need to simply get through one day at a time. It forces the characters of each show to be fully present, and, in some ways, enables the viewer to be more invested in the day-by-day survival and surprises.
Perhaps the most obvious connection between the two is the casting of Harold Perrineau. While the actor has extensive acting credits, such as Mercutio in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet (1996), Lost fans will recognise him immediately as Michael Dawson, a role defined by a father’s frantic desperation. In FROM, Perrineau is in the leading role of Sheriff Boyd Stevens, creating order in a world that is threatened by the fatal creatures who surface at night. Both are roles of a father seeking redemption, an emotional processing that holds strong throughout multiple character arcs in both series.
Stan, ABC
Each person who was trapped on the island, or in FROM’s unknown Middle America town, was, or is, dealing with or running away from an undesirable situation — think divorces, grief and illegal activity. Whether it was Lost’s Kate Austen (Evangeline Lilly) running from the law as a fugitive or FROM’s Tabitha Matthews (Catalina Sandino Moreno) avoiding the grief of her son and failing marriage, it’s as if their new environments are a physical manifestation of their baggage. And while the arrival at these mystery destinations give them an opportunity for a fresh start, they have no choice but to stay put, and not run away from, their problems — consistently haunted by past traumas or decisions. The psychological depth of each person keeps the viewer invested in their survival and journey.
While there are connections when it comes to character arcs, cast and crew and general themes, it’s really the investigative mindscrew on the audience’s side that marries the two. For anyone who watched Lost episodes with bated breath, they know this sense of curiosity hasn’t been piqued from a show since FROM arrived. Every scene, every character, every minute detail encourages the audience to examine whether or not it’s a clue to solving the problem, or a piece of the overall puzzle.
Stan, ABC
In today’s streaming climate and factoring in phone addictions, it’s so easy for viewers to divert attention when watching a show or movie. Reports even suggest that streaming services are “dumbing down” and reducing the complexity of their scripts so that it’s easy for viewers to be on their phones at the same time. But with mystery box dramas like Lost and FROM, it forces viewers to be truly present and part of the problem-solving, which is something we didn’t even know we were missing — a fact particularly true for generations that weren’t around for the Lost phenomenon (or for a world where Instagram didn’t exist).
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The real-time pacing is only reinforced by FROM’s rolling credits of “Que Será, Será (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)”, originally written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans and popularised by Doris Day in the 1950s. The cover used for the opening credits of FROM, however, is performed by rock band The Pixies, and the eerie pacing and instruments quickly subvert the usual optimism of the song.
FROM had no choice but to evolve on Lost, though, especially because it’s decades later and the TV landscape has shifted. Now, viewers can board the fandom and theorising in real time easily after catching up on Stan, something that wasn’t such a simple route for latecomers to Lost. Season 1 to 3 available and Season 4 episodes dropping weekly from April 20, 2026, with a condensed 10 episodes per season. It is also promising better reveals and answers than the conclusion of Lost (if you know, you know), which is one huge viewing perk of having the same producers of a successor show.
The brand new season of FROM is streaming now, only on Stan.
